Former professional football player. Son of Smith and Annie Bell, of Western Flats, Queen's Rd., Harrogate; husband of Rhoda Bell, of Wilmslow, Cheshire.

Citation

An extract from "The London Gazette," No. 29740, dated 8th Sept., 1916, records the following:- "For most conspicuous bravery. During an attack a very heavy enfilade fire was opened on the attacking company by a hostile machine gun. 2nd Lt. Bell immediately, and on his own initiative, crept up a communication trench and then, followed by Corpl. Colwill and Pte. Batey, rushed across the open under very heavy fire and attacked the machine gun, shooting the firer with his revolver, and destroying gun and personnel with bombs. This very brave act saved many lives and ensured the success of the attack. Five days later this very gallant officer lost his life performing a very similar act of bravery.

CWGC Archive Online (6)

Grave Registration Reports (GRRs) are standard forms which detail graves for which the Commission is responsible within a particular burial ground. They provide basic details of the individuals, such as name, service number, rank, regiment, unit and date of death, and are listed in Plot, Row and Grave order.

Grave Registration Documents - Graves Registration Reports (Finals)

Grave Registration Reports (GRRs) are standard forms which detail graves for which the Commission is responsible within a particular burial ground. They provide basic details of the individuals, such as name, service number, rank, regiment, unit and date of death, and are listed in Plot, Row and Grave order.

Grave Registration Documents - Registers

Registers were produced by the Commission on a cemetery-by-cemetery or memorial-by-memorial basis, and eventually ran to 1,500 volumes. They contain an entry for each individual, with details of their rank, regiment, unit and date of death. Many of the entries also include additional information such as next of kin details.

These record details of individuals who were originally buried in smaller or isolated cemeteries, but who, at a later date, were exhumed and reburied in war cemeteries. The concentration of cemeteries allowed otherwise unmaintainable graves to be moved into established war grave cemeteries where the Commission could ensure proper commemoration.

Concentration Documents - Burial Returns

These are lists of individuals who have been exhumed from their original burial location and reburied in a particular cemetery. They provide basic details of the individual, but in addition may also include information as to their original burial location and occasionally some details of how they were identified. These additional details would have been omitted if the individual was reburied in the same cemetery or identified using normal methods, for example, via a service tag.

Concentration Documents - Burial Returns

These are lists of individuals who have been exhumed from their original burial location and reburied in a particular cemetery. They provide basic details of the individual, but in addition may also include information as to their original burial location and occasionally some details of how they were identified. These additional details would have been omitted if the individual was reburied in the same cemetery or identified using normal methods, for example, via a service tag.

These documents provide details of what was actually inscribed on an individual’s headstone. Their main purpose was to help manage the enormous programme of headstone production and engraving the Commission embarked on in the immediate aftermath of the First World War.

Headstone Documents - Headstone Schedules (Originals)

These documents provide details of what was actually inscribed on an individual’s headstone. Their main purpose was to help manage the enormous programme of headstone production and engraving the Commission embarked on in the immediate aftermath of the First World War.

Headstone Documents - Headstone Schedules (Originals)

These documents provide details of what was actually inscribed on an individual’s headstone. Their main purpose was to help manage the enormous programme of headstone production and engraving the Commission embarked on in the immediate aftermath of the First World War.

This collection of documents relating
to the First World War was assembled by the Commonwealth War
Graves Commission and its predecessors as part of the processes
involved in the commemoration of individuals. As a result, they
contain many corrections and alterations which reflect their use as
working documents. For further information concerning the history
of the collection, please see our About Our Records page.

Please be advised that some of the
documents, especially the burial returns and exhumation reports,
may contain information which some people may find distressing. The
original archive records and their digital copies remain the
property of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, but are
available for re-use for private and non-commercial purposes.